Housatonic — A panoply of aesthetic undercurrents has flowed through the hamlet of Housatonic for as long as most folks can remember. Despite near-constant evolution over the decades, the neighborhood remains a hub for artists and other creative folks, many of whom flock to the invigorating intimacy found at the intersection of art and community in this once-bustling mill town. When Andreas Engel moved to Housy back in 2017, he recalls it being described as a “poetic place,” one brimming with community involvement.
“There’s a renaissance that’s happening here in Housatonic right now,” says Engel, who, just over a year ago, assumed the role of executive director at the Center for Peace Through Culture (CPC), located in a gallery on Front Street where, many moons ago, abundant foot traffic was the norm. The organization’s genesis can be traced back more than four decades to 1978 when, in New York City, CPC began as a think tank aimed at bringing together representatives of art, science, and philosophy to find creative solutions to environmental and social issues. The movement took root in the Berkshires when co-founder Nanette V. Hucknall became a resident of Monterey, and one outcome of this model was the 2007 formation of Greenagers, now its own thriving non-profit that engages teens and young adults in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building.
“Our mission is to use the arts as a vehicle to cultivate peace for the individual — and also for the community — by providing immersive experiences for people to have interactions with each other in ways they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do,” Engel explains, pointing to a host of curated events (from poetry nights and storytelling classes to dance parties and open mic events) aimed at inspiring folks and connecting neighbors.
On Saturday, November 11, the nonprofit’s annual fundraising exhibition—showcasing the work of more than a dozen Berkshire artists, including Engel—opens at The Little Gallery, located at 137 Front Street, the former studio of the late artist and Housatonic resident Deb Koffman. The public is invited to attend an Artists Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and view the show which will run through December 29.
“I want this exhibit [not only] to be about the artists and their visual work but also what they’re contributing to the events in this community,” said Engel who, in curating “Landscapes, Portraits, and Still Lifes,” explicitly chose to include artists who have been involved—“in multiple, dynamic ways beyond their art”—with events at the Center for Peace Through Culture.
One such participant is Laura Didyk, a Great Barrington-based illustrator, visual artist, writer, and teacher whose first experience with CPC came via her involvement in the Housy Windows Project, after which CPC hosted both her first solo show, “Erasures,” and a workshop, “The Art (& Fun!) of Erasure Poetry,” in The Little Gallery. Didyk was first introduced to the gallery in 2005 through the warm and welcoming invitation of the late Deb Koffman.
“Like many others, I was still reshaping my community life since COVID restrictions started loosening [when I first learned of the CPC],” said Didyk who, unaware of the nonprofit prior, set up a meeting with Engel. As to the initial goal? “[I wanted] to discuss the possibility of teaching either a writing or art class at CPC,” explains Didyk of a conversation that “evolved into a whole range of ideas of how I might contribute to CPC and its mission going forward.” Didyk said of the conversation, “There was no agenda—it was like: who are you as a creative person, and how do you want to be involved here?”
Of late, foot traffic at the corner of Front and Pleasant Streets has picked up. The arrival of ExtraSpecialTeas (which opened their second location in January 2022 and now offers breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea on weekdays) has led to an influx of visitors to town, which will likely increase again once the former Brick House Pub is resuscitated; the Common and Garden Pub is slated to open before year’s end. When asked about the highlight of his tenure to date, Engel pointed unequivocally to the old brick schoolhouse at the village center.
“[The project] is emblematic of community involvement,” he said of a public art installation that engaged over 30 local artists to reimagine the boarded-up windows of the former elementary school and transform the spaces with inspiring (large-scale) works of art. “Everyone got involved … and there was even a Party in the Park to celebrate,” Engel said, citing a town-wide effort that included the eclectic team of young adults with special needs and abilities from ExtraSpecialTeas; local youth from Project Connection in Great Barrington; the Housatonic the Beautiful committee; as well as Eric Gabriel, a member of the Selectboard and local electrician who literally installed the new “windows” (some of which, Engel hopes, may be incorporated into the building’s redevelopment as workforce housing).
“That whole experience, to me, just completely encompasses all the good things that happen when a community comes together to reclaim an eyesore, in the middle of downtown Housatonic, to [create] something that’s vibrant,” said Engel, who, in the midst of really difficult topical events happening in our world at present, often encounters passersby who are struck by the nonprofit’s moniker—one that’s already proven to galvanize an openness to the type of work that happens in the street-front gallery space.
“People can stumble into our place and then hopefully they walk out dancing,” said Engel, underscoring that this doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger. “You have to cultivate a safe space where people feel comfortable,” he explains, pointing to Deb Koffman who had already laid the foundation and built a community in the decades prior to her death in February 2021.
“We are continuing [Deb’s] legacy on that front,” Engel said, pointing to something as simple as IWOW (an open mic event for creatives, held on the first Tuesday of each month), which attracts a broad range of individuals, from those who are “very skilled at what they do … and others who might not have a refined craft but want to be heard.” Over time, this range trickles down from participants to audience members, each of whom is ultimately encouraged to see themselves as capable of taking to the stage.
“And when they get the courage to go up and actually try it, there’s actually a [captive] support group to help people do the thing they want to do in a better way,” says Engel of a process that results in more and more folks going out into the world, sharing their voice, talking to others in a different way, and cultivating peace in the process.
In keeping with the nonprofit’s mission, it all boils down to a shared belief that art is a powerful vehicle for cultivating inquiry, nurturing well-being, and inspiring innovation for positive social impact. As such, all of CPC’s experiential, creative programs are designed to promote cultural awareness and develop personal and interpersonal skills—with the mission of advancing an equitable, vibrant, interconnected, and peaceful community.
“Our approach here is that peace starts with the individual,” Engel explains of an ethos that invites folks to come in and see themselves as a small part of the solution—especially in the midst of epic world affairs that can often seem too big of a thing to even know how to cope with. Harkening back to the Housy Windows Project, Engel recalls a process that began with pre-cut canvases to facilitate the process for artists.
“Without exception, every artist—save for one or two—was intimidated by the size, as they hadn’t worked on that scale before,” Engel recalls of each canvas, measuring a whopping five by eight feet. Even Didyk, whose average piece is no bigger than a postcard, felt daunted by the canvas before her. Over the course of 10 days, fueled by Engel’s encouragement and emboldened by other artists’ participation, Didyk translated three small drawings of lovable monsters into people-sized paintings for the windows of the abandoned school in Housatonic.
“It was more than thrilling to see my creatures up there, so big and bright, and hopefully bringing inspiration to the town,” said the artist, who is equally at home as an attendee at CPC events, including Sheela Clary’s Storyteller Night, and El Viaje II, an exhibition by KATUNEMO. “It’s a perfect illustration of how when something seemingly big and overwhelming is tackled with a one-step-at-a-time approach, the experience is ultimately empowering,” said Engel.
Since last summer, Didyk has met and connected with myriad creatives—both established artists and those in the experimental phase of making things—and has been sowing the seeds of her own creative life in the process. “I think so many people want to connect this way, to feel alive and in community, by doing things they’ve never done, have always wanted to do, or are attracted to doing because of art they’ve seen or experienced. Some of us just need the encouragement, and the guidance to do so—I think CPC offers all these things.”
NOTE: Exhibition hours will be Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; other times available by appointment. Proceeds from the exhibition—which will include original oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media paintings, and photographs that hold strong influences from and connections to the Berkshires—will further CPC’s programming. Featured artists include Jennifer Clark, Laura Didyk, Julie Edmonds, Andreas Engel, Adrian Holmes, Karen Bognar Khan, Harvey Kimmelman, John LeClair, Christopher Malcomson, Bobby Miller, Jonathan Nix, Panos Papamichael, Pops Peterson, and Ted Phelps. A Closing Reception will be held on December 29, from 5 to 7 p.m.
